Racial Boundaries and American Cinema

Course Description: From its earliest beginnings, the history of American cinema has been inextricably—and controversially—tied to the racial politics of the United States.  This course will explore how images of racial and ethnic minorities such as African Americans, Jews, Asians, Native Americans and Latino/as are reflected on the screen, as well as the ways that minorities in the entertainment industry have responded to often limiting representations. In this course, we will trace the history of cinematic traditions including blackface and racial passing; study how Hollywood has dealt with taboo topics such as miscegenation; and explore how ideologies of gender and sexuality have impacted representations of minority figures in popular culture. We'll be watching a number of films which will include The Birth of a Nation, Do the Right Thing, The Wedding Banquet, A Gentleman's Agreement, My Family/Mi Familia, The Searchers, Smoke Signals, Crash, and the Fast and Furious films.